Dairy Queen owner Charlie Pleskac announced this week he and his wife are selling Dell Rapids’ longest-running restaurant.

Pleskac and his wife Rita were expected to finalize the sale Monday with Dan Hiserote, a restaurant owner in northwest Iowa. Hiserote owns 10 others Dairy Queens including four in Sioux City, Iowa and others in Sergeant Bluffs, Cherokee, Le Mars and Onawa.

Steve Hill, concept manager for Hiserote’s Dairy Queen stores, said cosmetic upgrades will be made in the coming months like adding parking lot lighting, improving signage and modernizing the cash register system.

With a staff of about 15, Hill said existing employees will be maintained.

The change in ownership marks the sixth time in 14 years that the business has changed hands.

Pleskac said he will hand the reigns over to the new ownership Tuesday after five years as a Dell Rapids business owner. He said he leaves the property and business in better shape than when he bought it.

Since purchasing the restaurant in December 2008, Pleskac spent thousands on improvements to the parking lot, roof, patio area and landscaping. Cosmetic upgrades were also made inside the store.
A desire to be closer to family weighed on him and his wife in recent years, and eventually led to the decision to sell, Pleskac said.

“We were on the road three out of every four weekends,” he said of the frequency his family of four was traveling to Wahoo, Neb. to visit relatives. “Being the owner, it’s a 24/7 job so it was tough because we were gone that much.”

Pleskac said although moving home to Nebraska is the right choice for his family it wasn’t an easy one.

“It’s not something we had planned on. It’s hard for me because I put my blood, sweat and tears into it and the community has been more than receptive and supportive,” he said. “A part of me is torn.”

The Pleskacs will maintain ownership of two other Dairy Queens, one in Lincoln, Neb. and another in Ogallala, Neb.

Pleskac resigned from his postion as a Dell Rapids Planning and Zoning Commissioner at the board’s regular meeting March 25.